Drake's Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
by Ava Drake's Clamp Adventures
Summary: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle...with a twist
1. The World of Beginnings

**This is Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle...with a twist. I've gone over the first volume and added a few OC's. Please wait till the end of Chapter 2 before making any judgements. This first chapter is just an introduction to the character.**

Drake sat on her bed, staring at her gloved hands, musing on her current dilemma - a formal party. She was already dressed the part, despite the event not starting for several more hours. Her face was covered in a mixture of dark hues of makeup and face paint, which accented her bright green eyes, and her raven coloured hair was done up in two elaborate buns on either side of her head. She wore blue and black formal robes which served to emphasise her makeup and hair. The only piece that didn't match was the dragon amulet on her neck, which was silver with a red ruby in the centre. She fingered it nervously as doubt overcame her, but as soon as she touched the smooth surface they fled her mind, to be replaced with a confident calmness. _Soon, _she thought, _soon I'll leave this world forever. _

She stood in front of her aunt, who scrutinized her appearance, and posture, while giving 'helpful' hints. Several times she repeated the same advice constantly, making Drake want to scream, or at least interrupt, but she knew from experience neither action helped her in the slightest. So she stood patiently as her aunt fussed over her appearance, while giving guidance. Neither thing helped her at all. Finally, her aunt deemed her presentable enough to be able to be shown at the party.

She followed her aunt into the room. It was like a ballroom, but few were dancing. Most were standing in small groups. Drake recognised a few from other occasions. Every guest had some political power – from nobles to royalty to powerful mages. She scanned the room a few times. Her aunty went off as she recognised some noble or another, and Drake was left alone, though of course, not for long. She hid her disgust under a careful façade , as people recognised her and came over to greet her, hoping to gain favour with the famous Safia, as Drake was known to the outside world. Safia, the most powerful mage in the world. Even at a young age, she could best the greatest magicians with little effort, even after the majority of her powers were bonded. So, obviously, people expected her to become a major player in the world of politics. How could they not see how boring their world was? Drake wanted open skies, music, battles, freedom! But in truth, these people were happier here than they ever would be under the stars. She listened to the man she was currently conversing with. He complimented her hair. She shot him a charming and bedazzling smile, making him stutter slightly. Her aunt caught her eye. You'll pay, she seemed to say. Drake sighed inwardly. Beauty was a curse, she mused to herself. To use it brought about so much trouble. Not that anyone here was worthy of her attention, she thought. Here, love was just a fairy tale, meant to be marvelled at, but not taken seriously. Arranged marriages were the norm for her class, whichever marriage gained the most power won out. Of course, that meant Drake had quite a few offers – power plus beauty often did. But she rejected them all, much to her aunt's displeasure. It was one of the reasons she was leaving so quickly – she couldn't reject offers forever, especially with her controlling aunty. Drake wouldn't put it past her aunt to accept a proposal in her name. Drake finished talking and walked towards the food table and held back another sigh as she saw the food. She wondered if anyone actually liked the food, or if they just pretended so they looked better.  
>She turned away, and found her cousin standing there. Drake smiled inwardly. Thea may have been a political player, but she was nice and as close to a friend as Drake had ever had.<br>"Safia," Thea said, inclining her head.  
>"Thea," she responded, dropping herself into a curtsey. She then looked up at her younger cousin. They shared similar hair, but Thea's eyes were a blackish blue in contrast to Drake's gleaming green. Thea was slightly shorter too, but she held herself with a regal manner, similar to the way Drake held herself, and let off an air of confidence. In truth, they were both the pinnacle of excellent breeding – good manners and perfect training, not to mention their equally stunning beauty.<br>"How are you finding the party, my dear sister?" Thea asked, retaining the formality, while also impressing a sense of familiarity to any listeners. Drake felt vaguely annoyed. That was all I needed, more reasons why people should think I was politically involved.  
>"As always, my sister, I find it a wonderful experience to be amongst such a variety of interesting people." Drake lied. She could see Thea saw through it though. Drake had often expressed her disdain for such parties, in one such case during one of them, causing such a ruckus that her aunt had dragged her out of the party.<br>Thea's eyes twinkled with amusement. "I concur, my sister. I'm afraid I did not see you at the dinner last week." She finished in the way of a question.  
>"I apologise, for I had much to do." Drake fervently wished to die. Speaking like that made her sound so snobbish.<br>"Ahh, yes. I heard that a Count asked for your hand?"  
>Drake's eyes narrowed briefly. Thea was doing it on purpose. She pretended to wave it off. "Something like that, yes, but I myself did not see the benefits."<br>"But surely there were many benefits being married to such a powerful man?" Thea asked. Drake's insides twisted. Why is she doing this? she wondered. Surely they could discuss this somewhere quieter?  
>"Well, of course, but my present situation suits me very well, and I'd hate to throw it out of balance."<br>"So you are waiting for the 'right man'?" Thea asked. "Isn't that a bit childish when such a position is on offer?" People chuckled at that. Love truly was considered a fantasy.  
>"Nothing so juvenile," Drake retorted calmly. "I simply believe that at this period of time, marriage would only impend my studies. It is easier to learn without marriage being on my mind."<br>In other words, leave me alone.  
>"A shame." Thea said.<br>"How so?" Drake asked in an emotionless.  
>"Just that a certain noble has petitioned for your hand. But if you are so set on staying single…" she paused, waiting for, what she believed to be the inevitable interruption. When it didn't come, she continued, "I will tell him you refuse his offer."<br>Drake realised that this was the reason Thea had broached the subject. No doubt the man was high up in the chain, therefore a marriage would mean that Drake would be closer to the palace intrigues – meaning she would be an even more valuable ally to Thea, as well as being a closer friend – as Thea knew of her hatred towards politics. But Drake refused to even consider the possibility. Tonight, she left their world forever. No false hopes.  
>"I would much appreciate that," Drake responded after a pause.<br>Thea's eyes conveyed their anger, but she looked calm as she said, "Of course. It would be no trouble."  
>Drake curtsied once more, and made her way to the door. She knew that her aunt would be furious that she hadn't even considered the mysterious man's proposal. She also knew that people would avoid her for the rest of the night, as to not seem to support her decision. So she departed, never to return.<p>

Drake made her way through the winding corridors, to her room in the tower. She went to the bathroom and ran a bath, intent to get rid of any evidence of the party, using a wet face washer wipe away the face paint. She stopped the bath and undressed and stepped into the bath, safe in the knowledge that no one would interrupt her for several hours. She washed away all the anger she held, then dressed in simple clothes – a black mini- skirt and a long-sleeved red top which exposed her midriff. She wore a black trench coat over the top and her favourite black boots, letting her hair fall around her shoulders. Then she began collecting all the items she had still to pack, those bigger items which would have given her away if she had packed them any earlier. She packed them into the appropriate pouches, which hung from her belt. The bags were charmed – no matter how much was stuffed into the bags they could rarely be filled, as long as the item could fit through the opening. She attached each bag to her belt and slid the belt through the skirt's slots. She went through her room once more, searching for anything left behind. Once satisfied that she had taken everything of value she sat back on the bed. This was it. She stood up, and repeated the magic she had learnt since she could walk. The dimension spell. The room lit up and a hole appeared in her wall. She smiled to herself.  
>"Goodbye," she said and walked through the hole.<p> 


	2. The Price of Memory

**Okay, I have two xxxHolic OC's - Yusei, a second Time/Space Witch, and Auzura, who's just like Watanuki...sorta. **

Drake arrived on par with two men. She looked around and gave a half smile. She was outside the shop, and it was raining. She observed the men out of the corner of her eye. One was dressed completely in black and was carrying a sword. His hair was black and his eyes were red. He didn't look happy. Drake did a quick magic test and concluded he had none. The other was, on the other hand, dressed in light hues. He appeared to be from a cold dimension – if his clothes were any example. His eyes were light blue and his hair was blonde. She tested him and found he had magic – though nothing like her own. There was something else too. A warning. Drake quickly hid the full extent of her powers from him. A feeling told her that his magic wasn't going to like hers at all. As soon as the magic dissipated the men talked in unison.  
>"Who the hell are you?" asked the man on her left. At the same time the blonde asked, "Are you the dimension witches?" Both men looked at each other. Drake stayed silent. Yuko had to deal with the other clients first.<br>"Please give me your names first." Yuko commanded. Drake sighed inwardly. On this world knowing the name of someone was dangerous.  
>Drake looked down. At her feet was a young boy, holding a girl. There was something wrong with the boy. His soul was…something was wrong. And the girl had no soul at all. Drake frowned. The girl was unconscious. Drake wondered what had happened that had led to their predicament.<br>"Me?" the man in black asked. "I'm Kurogane." He looked around and added to himself, "What are these weird buildings? I mean," he said loudly. "What _is _this place?"  
>"It's called Japan," Yusei said.<br>"Eh? My country's called Japan too," the man responded.  
>"Yes. A different Japan." Yusei informed him.<br>"I'm not getting any of this!" Kurogane said annoyed.  
>"And you?" Yuko asked the blonde.<br>"The Wizard of Seresu," he said, bowing. "Fai D. Flowright."  
>"Do you know where you are?" Yuko asked.<br>"Yes…"the man responded. "A place where any wish can be granted if a suitable price is paid."  
>"That's exactly it," Yusei said. "And so…"<br>"The reason why of you are here…" Yuko continued.  
>"Is because each of you has a wish." Yusei finished. Drake resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had known the dimension witches for many years. They only finished each other's sentences when they were talking to a customer. Drake's mother said it was so they sounded more important.<br>"My home world…" the two men began together.  
>"Is where I want to be!" Kurogane exclaimed.<br>"Is the place I do _not _want to be." Fai said calmly.  
>Yusei's brow furrowed slightly. "And you, Drake?" she asked. "It has been a long time."<br>She nodded. "It has. You already know my wish. To be free of my world. Forever."  
>The other two looked at her. She ignored their looks.<br>"That is a tall order for the three of you," Yusei said.  
>"No…" Yuko said softly. "For all <em>four <em>of you…perhaps…."  
>"Even if you offered the most precious things you own, none of you has enough to pay," Yusei concluded. Drake's heart dropped. <em>Then I would have to do this the hard way<em>. She raised her arm to teleport away.  
>"But…" Yusei continued. Ava paused.<br>"If all four paid together, you may just be able to afford it."  
>"What kind of <em>crap <em>are you spouting?" Kurogane yelled. Drake ignored him.  
>"Mr. Black, can you keep your insults down?" The Wizard asked cutely.<br>"I'M NOT MR BLACK!" the man yelled at him. "I'm Kurogane!"  
>"All four of your wishes are the same." Yusei cut in.<br>"You want to go to many world's in order to restore the memory of the child." She said to the boy.  
>"You want to return to your own world," Yuko said to Kurogane.<br>"You want to go to different worlds to avoid returning to your own." She told Fai.  
>Yusei looked at me. "And you want the freedom you can't get on your own planet."<br>"You have different reasons, but the method is the same." Yuko said.  
>"Travel to different dimensions…that is what you need." Yusei finished.<br>"Each of you individually cannot make that wish happen."  
>"However if the three of you combine payment for one wish, than you can afford it."<br>"Than what would _my _payment be?" Kurogane asked.  
>"Your sword," the witches chimed.<br>"What! I'd _never _sell away Ginryû!"  
>"Fine!" Yuko said, annoyed. She poked him in the stomach. "Instead you will wander this world looking like a costume-contest loser, and get picked up by the police for carrying an unlawful sword, and get plastered all over the TV for being a freak! Is that what you want?"<br>"Huh?" The man asked. "Polee? TiiVee?"  
>"You realise," Yusei said calmly. "That you are trapped here and we are the only people in the world who can get you out?"<br>"That's got to be a lie!" Kurogane said.  
>"It's all true." The Wizard said.<br>I nodded. "That's why I'm here."  
>Kurogane leant over them. "You're kidding!"<br>"Why would we lie?" Drake asked calmly, resisting the urge to punch him.  
>"What will you do?" the witches asked in sync, holding out their hands.<br>"Dammit!" he swore, violently handing her the sword. "When I am free from this _curse, _I am coming back for it," he promised. They ignored him. They turned to the magician.  
>"Your price…is your marking." They said.<br>"I don't suppose this staff would do instead?" he asked with a smile. Drake wondered why he was so cheery. It was a mixture between being cute, and being annoying.  
>"It won't," Yuko said.<br>"We told you, the price is the thing you value most." Yusei said. The smile fell from the man's face as he considered. Then he perked up again. "I guess I have no choice."  
>Yuko and Yusei collected the tattoo- a black symbol on his back which looked surprisingly familiar, though Drake couldn't place it.<br>They turned to Drake next. Her hands reached towards her necklace.  
>"No," they said, alarmed. She let her hands fall to my sides. "Not that."<br>I frowned. "But its…"  
>"It may be your most vital and precious possession, but not your most valued."<br>"Then what?" I asked.  
>"The box." Yusei said.<br>Drake's face fell. She hadn't even considered it. Her box of memories. Not much, but things she had kept close to her every day. But, then again, she was starting a new life. Maybe this was a step in the right direction. She let her hand fall on the pouch containing it, and used her magic to draw out the eloquently designed brown chest. She held it in her hands and kissed the top, before handing it to Yuko. The men stared at me with confused expressions. The box flew around the witches heads, with the other two items.  
>"What about you?" Yuko asked the boy. "Now is the time to hand over your item of highest value."<br>"And you will be able to travel the worlds." Yusei finished.  
>"Fine!" the boy said.<br>"You realise that is we haven't named the price yet?" Yuko said.  
>"Yes!" the boy said. Drake took an instant liking to him. Very stubborn.<br>"The only thing we can do is send you to other worlds," Yusei warned. "Finding the child's memories is something _you _will have to do."  
>"…" the boy paused. "Fine!" he said again.<br>"I like your attitude." Yuko said with a smile. Drake agreed with her.  
>"Eh?" said a voice by the shop's gate. Drake frowned. There was a boy and a girl walking towards us with toys in their hand, the girl carrying a black one, and the boy a white one. Drake hadn't seen them last time she was here. Did she get helpers? "There's more of you?" the boy asked.<br>"Here they are," Yuko said. Drake wasn't sure if she was talking about the kids, or the toys. The boy handed the white toy to Yuko.  
>"The name of this young one is Mokona Modoki." Yuko said. Somewhere along the way, two girls had appeared – one with purple hair, who now carried Kurogane's sword, and a pink haired girl who carried the Wizard's marking. My box floated a little away from the ground, in front of the witches.<br>"Mokona will lead you through the worlds." Yusei informed them all.  
>The black creature in the girl's hands moved. Kurogane noticed and held out his hand.<br>"Hey, you got an extra. Give it to me. I'll go home with that."  
>The girl wrapped her arms more tightly around it and took a step backward.<br>"No." Yusei said. "That's how we keep in contact."  
>Yuko pointed between the two creatures. "See, how useful?" she asked.<br>"The only power this one has," she said, indicating the girl's black creature, "is to stay in communication with Mokona."  
>"Mokona will take you to different dimensions, but there is no way to control which dimension." Yusei instructed us. <em>Perfect, <em>I thought. "For that reason," she continued, "only fate will decide when your wishes will be granted."  
>"However," Yuko cut in. "there is no coincidence in the world. What <em>is <em>there is 'Hitsuzen.'"  
>Drake almost sighed. Yuko and Yusei mention Hitsuzen a lot.<p>

_Hitsuzen_, they had told her was '_a naturally foreordained event. A state in which other outcomes are impossible. A result which can only be obtained by a single causality, and all other causalities would necessarily create different results. So reads the Kodansha Japanese desk dictionary, second edition_.'

Yusei continued, "And what brought you together…was also Hitsuzen."  
>"Syaoran," Yuko said to the boy, "your price is…."<br>"Your relationship." The witches said together. "The thing you value most…is your relationship with her. So that is your price."  
>"My price?" But how-"<br>"Even if…"Yusei said.  
>"…This child's memories are completely restored…"<br>"Your relationship with her will never be the same again."  
>"So what is she…to you?" Yuko asked.<br>He looked at her and pulled her closer, shutting his eyes. "A childhood friend…and the princess of a country…and…and a girl who is precious to me!"  
>"…..I see." Yuko said softly. "However….if you want to accept Mokona, that relationship will end."<br>"Even if you retrieve all of her memories," Yusei clarified. "…the one memory she will never retrieve will be her memory of you."  
>"That is our price."<br>Drake felt sorrow for the poor boy. He had a difficult choice, far harder than the one she, and most likely the other two as well, had made.  
>"Will you still pay it?" they asked him.<br>"Let's go," the boy said, looking at the girl. He looked up with determination in his eyes. "I will _not _let Sakura die!"


	3. The Wings of Hitsuzen

"Travel between worlds is more difficult than you imagine." Yuko told the boy. "There are a variety of worlds. For example…The worlds these three," she said gesturing to Drake and the others. "come from. You can tell just from their clothes, can't you? All of them come from different worlds than yours." Drake looked at her clothes. She wasn't wearing clothes from her world, she was wearing ones from this world. The witches' world. But the boy wouldn't know that.  
>"People you know. People you've met on your world…They've developed under completely different conditions on other worlds. You may meet different versions of the same person time after time on different worlds. And just because that person is nice to you on one world doesn't mean you will find an ally on the next."<br>"You'll find world's where you can't communicate – where even common sense doesn't work. Scientific development, standard of living, laws…all change with the world."  
>"There are worlds full of criminals, worlds of liars, worlds locked in constant wars…"<br>"And you must live through them all."  
>"It will be a journey in which you won't know how close you are to collecting all of the fractured pieces of memory."<br>"That said…are you still determined to see it through?"  
>"…Yes!" the boy said.<br>"Sincerity and determination." Yuko said.  
>"No matter what a person wants to attempt, those are needed." Yusei said. "And it seems that you are well provided with both."<br>"And so…" Yuko said, letting go of Mokona. White wings sprouted from him. "You may go!"  
>Mokona opened his mouth wide, and began sucking them in.<br>"I wish…you four the best of fortune on your journey!" Yuko called.

They arrived in a room. Drake looked at her new group, to find them all unconscious. Mokona looked at her.  
>She smiled at him and stretched. <em>Free, I am free.<em> She picked Mokona up.  
>"Where are we?" she asked him. He gave a shrug. "Hello?" she called.<br>A man walked in. He looked at her excitedly. "Honey?" he called out. "We have guests."  
>Drake smiled at him. "Sorry to barge in like this." she told him.<br>"No worries," he said. "I'm Sorata Arisugawa. Are you the only one?"  
>"No, there are four others." She told him. "But they're unconscious."<br>"Mokona's here too!" Mokona chirped.  
>Drake laughed. "Sorry. There are six of us."<br>"Honey!" the man called, turning around and leaving. Drake frowned and looked back to the others and saw the Wizard waking up. She walked over and knelt by him.  
>"You okay?" she asked.<br>He grinned at her. "I'm fine." He said. She nodded, and walked over to Kurogane, who was also stirring.  
>He sat up abruptly. "What the-"<br>"We're here." she informed him.  
>"Where?"<br>"I don't know," she said shrugging. "This place. A new start."  
>"That doesn't mean anything!" he said annoyed. Drake grinned.<br>"I don't know where we are. Does it matter?"  
>"Yes! Of course it-"<br>"But," she cut in. "If you don't recognise this place, than it's a fair assumption that we're not on your world. So does it matter to you where we are?"  
>"I…I…" He roared, but Drake just laughed and twirled around. She cast a look at the boy and girl, who were both still unconscious. He still hadn't let her go. Drake frowned and knelt by them.<br>"She's pretty wet," she said and used her magic to move them on to a mat on the floor.  
>"What the-" Kurogane asked.<br>She gave him a frown. "I just moved them." she explained. "The ground looks uncomfortable."  
>"But…"<br>Just then the man returned. "More of you are awake!" he said happily.  
>Kurogane jumped to his feet. "Who are you?" he demanded.<br>"Sorata Arisugawa." Drake introduced him. "He's our host, apparently."  
>"Yes!"<br>"Can I get a towel or a facewasher?" she asked.  
>"Oh, yes. You are pretty wet." He told her. Drake touched her hair. He was right.<br>"I meant for her." She said gesturing to the girl.  
>"Okay. I'll get two." He left. Drake giggled. What an odd man. He returned with five face washers. Drake took one, and began wiping away the water on the girl's face.<br>"Mokona will help!" Mokona said, grabbing a face washer and running it through her hair. Drake smiled.  
>Fai had a quick discussion with Sorata. Sorate left and Fai also grabbed a face washer and helped them dry her, and the boy.<br>"Puu! It looks like…"Mokona said as the boy stirred.  
>"Sa…kura?" the boy asked.<br>Mokona pretended to cry. "He doesn't grab Mokona!"  
>"Oh," the wizard said, lifting Mokona off the boy. "It looks like he's up."<br>"Sakura!" the boy yelled in fear. He sat up and noticed her, wrapping his arms around her.  
>"We tried to dry her," the wizard explained.<br>"Mokona dried too!" Mokona said.  
>"Even while you slept, you wouldn't let the girl go." The wizard told the boy. "So you…er…"<br>"Praise me!" Mokona demanded.  
>"Call me Syaoran." The boy said.<br>"My name is pretty long." The wizard said. "You can just call me Fai."  
>They looked at Drake. She opened her mouth to tell them her title –Safia Drake. But she hesitated. <em>A new life<em>. "Ava Drake," I said. Her real name. Her birth name. She hadn't used it since she was little, but it seemed appropriate now.  
>"And…Mr Black over there. What'll we call you?" asked Fai.<br>"I am not "Mr Black"!" Kurogane said outraged. "I am Kurogane."  
>"Kurogane, huh?" Fai said. "Got it. So what works? Kuro-chan? Kurorin?"<br>Mokona sat on Kurogane's lap.  
>"Hey! You…thing! Don't get comfortable there!" Kurogane threatened. Drake laughed and he glared at her. Fai, on the other hand, leant over to Syaoran, and began feeling around his clothes.<br>"Waa!" Syaoran cried out.  
>"What do you think you're doing?" asked Kurogane nervously.<br>"Is this what a piece of memory looks like…for this child?" Fai asked, holding up a feather.  
>"Eh?" Syaoran said.<br>"It was stuck to you. Only one, though." Fai said.  
>"That time when all the feathers flew away! This…is one piece of Sakura's memories!"<br>Fai let the feather fly to Sakura. She…absorbed it.  
>"Her body…is a little warmer," Syaoran confirmed.<br>"If you hadn't had that feather, it might've been a problem." Fai said.  
>"By coincidence, one stuck to my clothes…"<br>"There is no coincidence in the world." Fai said. Syaoran and Kurogane looked at him. Ava ran her fingers through her hair idly, waiting. "That's what the witch said, wasn't it?" he continued. "And so… my guess is, without thinking, you grabbed it yourself. In order to save that girl… Of course," he added cheerfully, "I'm just guessing this! But my question is how can we find them now…I doubt we'll find any more in our clothes…new feathers…"  
>"Mokona knows!" Mokona shouted cheerfully, jumping up. "That feather gave out <em>really <em>big waved! So when a feather is close, Mokona will feel the big waves! And Mokona will be like…" he pulled a face. "This!"  
>"Well, it looks like we have a way. If we get close, Mokona will let us know." Fai said, patting Mokona.<br>"Would you do that?" Syaoran asked. "Tell us when we're near a feather?"  
>"Leave that to me!" Mokona said proudly.<br>"Thank you," Syaoran said, with a wonderfully real smile.  
>"I…" Ava began, turning to face him. "May I…help you?" she asked.<br>Syaoran frowned. "I.."  
>"Its just, I don't really have anything else to do. And it's not as if I can just let you two fend for yourself," she added, then reverted back to 'court' mode. "I'm a magician… so if my talents can aid you in anyway….I'd be glad to help."<br>He smiled even wider. "I'd be glad to accept your assistance."  
>"Search or don't search. That's up to you." Kurogane said. "It's got nothing to do with me! I'm here to get back to my own world. That's the only reason I'm here. Don't expect me to stick my neck out for you. Don't expect me to help you. I won't do it!"<br>Ava frowned. She was about to make a retort, when Syaoran cut in.  
>"Right. That is my mission here." Kurogane's eyes widened. Syaoran continued. "I'll do my best not to cause you any trouble."<br>Ava smiled, knowing she had made the right choice in choosing to aid him in his quest.  
>Fai laughed. "Syaoran, you are so <em>serious<em>!"  
>"Well? What about you?" Kurogane asked Fai briskly.<br>"Mm?"  
>"Are you going to help the brat out?"<br>"Hmm, I suppose so." He smiled. "_My _most important mission is to _not _return to my world. So, if it doesn't threaten my life…sure, I'll help out. I've got nothing better to do."  
>"Yo!" said a voice at the door. The host had returned, with a woman in tow. "So you're all awake now! Hey! No need to get all tense! You came from Yuko and Yusei-san, right?"<br>"Yuko-san?" Syaoran asked.  
>"You know, the girl witches? The dimension witches…the far east witches…they have a lot of names."<br>The woman gave Syaoran a blanket.  
>"Oh, thank you!" he said and pulled it over Sakura.<br>"I'm Sorata Arisugawa," Sorata said as he introduced himself once again.  
>"I'm Arashi," the woman said with a bow.<br>"Just to let you know," Sorata cut in. "She's my wife and the woman I love. I call her my 'Honey'." The woman ignored him as he continued. "Just make sure you've burned that into your hearts." Ava stifled a laugh.  
>Syaoran introduced himself to the woman as Sorata smiled happily. He went to Kurogane. "By which I mean that if you lay a finger on her, you'll die horribly." He said, his words laced with love.<br>"Why do you say that only to me?" Kurogane yelled at him as he danced off.  
>"Nori Nori," Sorata said dancing around with a bowl of food. He turned back to Kurogane, giving him a thumbs up. "But I wasn't kidding."<br>"I WON'T TOUCH HER!" Kurogane yelled back.  
>"Now…" Sorata said, picking up Mokona. "I figure you went to the witch ladies and got this from them to get here, right?"<br>"Mokona Modoki!" Mokona reminded him.  
>"That's a long name," Sorata told him. "Is it okay if I just say Mokona?"<br>"Sure! Okay!" Mokona replied enthusiastically.  
>"I heard the whole story from the man there." Sorata said. "I mean the blonde guy. Mr. Black over there is too mean to ask! Anyway, gentlemen, ladies," with a quick look at Ava. "This is your lucky day."<br>"In what way?" Fai asked.  
>"Mokona has no idea which is the next world, right? So it's a happy chance that brought you to this world first of all. Because this.." he said, pulling open a door and revealing the new world. "Is the HANSHIN REPUBLIC!"<p> 


	4. The Strength to Fight

"This is the Hanshin Republic," Sorata's puppet-self informed us as it stood before a board at the front of the room. "The best of island nations. We are surrounded by seas on all sides. We get the odd hurricane , But we hardly ever have earthquakes. We have several trading partners across the seas, and we export like crazy!" He pulled out a list of the seasons. "We have four seasons. Right now, we're in fall. The season where rice tastes best!" He pulled out pictures of food. "The main staple is wheat flour. And our sauce is famous!" He changed subjects once again. Ava got out a notepad and began writing down what he was saying. "We have the Hanshin Republic Constitutional and Rule of Law! And by Law, we never make war with other countries. Mode of transport – car, bicycle, motorcycle, train, boat, plane…and one could consider a _baby carriage _to be one form of transport, right honey?" the puppet asked Arashi's puppet, who looked equally unamused as Arashi herself. "The shape of the island is thus," Sorata continued, pulling out a map. "Because of the similarity to a tiger, people call us the tiger country. Of course, the Hanshin Republic uses the image of a tiger quite a bit. Our currency is the Koko. There are one-Koko coins. 100,000 Koko Bills and the Tiger Head is the symbol of the country. And the logo for out Baseball team is the same!" He then rambled on about some statistics about baseball. He looked at Ava. "I see we have a student here!" he exclaimed, as he noticed Ava's writing.  
>Ava blushed slightly. "My father told me to always write down the basics… in case I ever want to return here."<br>Fai raised his hand. "Sir, I have a question!"  
>"Yes, Fai-kun?" Sorata said.<br>"Does everyone in this country have an accent like yours, Sorata-san?"  
>"Aww, don't be so formal! Call me Sora-chan!"<br>Ava sighed inwardly. Honorifics were always a weak point for her. Her home planet didn't use them, and though the Time Space Witches did, Ava had never quite got the hang of them.  
>"My accent," Sorata continued, "is unique to me. It's an older version of our language."<br>"Yours is a language used in the past?" Syaoran said, suddenly excited.  
>"That's right! Nowadays hardly anyone uses this language. I'm a history teacher, and I'm firmly against allowing the old ways to fade away."<br>"You're a history teacher?"  
>"I take it you have an interest in history?"<br>"Yes! In my world, I used to work on archaeological digs."  
>"Then I'd say we have something in common!"<br>"And I have one more question," Fai interrupted with a smile. "Now…Exactly where are we? Who owns this room?"  
>"Good question! This is an empty room in an old, traditional apartment house that my honey and I manage. Ain't it great?" he said, resuming fawning over his wife. "A beautiful apartment manager who is also a great cook!" Sorata noticed Kurogane not paying attention and turned to him angrily, pointing at him and yelling – "You! Wake up!"<br>Kurogane jumped as if he had been hit. "What was that?" he asked looking around. "I didn't feel an enemy! Who did that?" He fixed his eyes on Sorata. "Bastard! _You _threw that, didn't you?"  
>"You were in a corner," Fai pointed out. "If he threw anything, it wouldn't hit you there. It had to come from above."<br>"What?" Sorata said, a befuddled look on both his face, and his puppet's. "It was my _kudan, _what else?"  
>"Kudan?" The four travellers asked together.<br>"You don't know?" he asked surprised. Then he realised who he was talking to. "Sure you don't! You all come from different worlds! You _wouldn't _know!"  
>Ava bit back a wave of annoyance. She smiled. "So what is a 'Kudan'?" she asked.<br>"Everyone in this world has a Kudan attached," Sorata explained, as the puppet wrote the word on the white board. "Here's how it's written in Kanji."  
>"Ah…I see." Kurogane said.<br>"I don't see at all!" Fai said.  
>"Mokona can read!" Mokona said.<br>"That's really great, Mokona!" Fai said. Ava's brow furrowed. She wasn't at all sure about Fai. He seemed to be all over the place.  
>"Can you Syaoran?" Mokona asked.<br>"Yeah, more or less."  
>"Kurogane and Syaoran's worlds use Kanji, but Fai's probably doesn't." Sorata cut in. "But you can understand what I say, and I understand you."<br>"Ava, can you read it?" Mokona asked.  
>"Not yet," Ava said, absent-mindedly.<br>"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurogane asked.  
>Ava frowned at him. "You're very loud." She said. She turned to Sorata. "With your permission, I'd like to learn your language." She told him. Sorata frowned.<br>"You don't need permission!" he told her happily.  
>Ava paused. "It's a spell," she explained.<br>"Oh…Go ahead!" he said.  
>Ava stood up and tapped his temple. She closed her eyes and took a step back.<br>"Hmm," she said, turning back to the board. _Kudan_, she wrote the word several times in her own languages. "Can you understand any of these, Fai?" she asked.  
>Fai nodded. "Yep." He smiled. "That's an interesting spell."<br>Ava shrugged. "Dimension Travelling 101. Quick way to learn the language. Mother taught me. Not even really a spell."  
>"What kind of technique is this Kudan?" Kurogane asked, bringing the topic back to its origin. "And you used the word… attached."<br>Ava frowned, slowly working out what he meant by rifling through the new information gained from Sorata. The symbol used, Ava slowly realised, was the same one used for attachment. _What a complicated language_, she thought.  
>"Even if you come from another world," Arashi said, "once you entered this one, a Kudan will be attached." She turned to Sakura. "Do you mind if I call her Skaura-san?"<br>"That's fine," Syaoran said.  
>"I cannot say where Sakura-san's memory went, however, if someone has picked it up…it will become the cause of a fight." She looked at Kurogane and Fai. "You've lost your method of battle."<br>"How did you know?" Fai asked, as serious as Ava had seen him.  
>"My honey used to be a Shinto religion Miko," Sorata cut in solemnly, "She possesses spiritual powers." He gave a small smile, as Arashi looked down. "Well…. She's retired ever since she married me." Then he reverted to his love-struck state. "Her beauty when she was dressed as Miko was a godsend!"<br>"Actually," Fai said with a smile. "I _did _give my magic power to the dimension witch."  
>Ava hesitated. She could still sense his power.<br>"And I handed my sword to that bitch!" Kurogane said angrily.  
>Ava raised her hand slightly. "Well, I still have my power…and my weapon….I only had to give her a box."<br>Kurogane looked at her. "You have a weapon?" he asked, surprised, momentarily forgetting his anger.  
>"No, see I was thinking I'd go dimension hopping without any way to protect myself," she said sarcastically. He glared back.<br>Arashi looked at Syaoran.  
>"It wasn't any sort of power that I gave her." Syaoran explained. "I never had magic, or weapons, or anything like that from the start."<br>"That may have been your good luck." Arashi said.  
>"Eh?"<br>"There are Kudan in this world. When it comes time to fight, that Kudan should be able to help."  
>"Then this Kudan was originally meant for battle?"<br>"What you use it for…" Sorata cut in, "or how you use it is all up to you. One look can answer a hundred questions. If you want to see what your Kudan is…the only thing to do is see it with your own eyes." Then his mood changed. "Now, I've pretty much explained everything to know about this country."  
>"He did?" Kurogane asked.<br>Sorata ignored him. "Well?" he asked Syaoran. "Do you think that Sakura-chan would have a feather on this world?"  
>"Sure does!" Mokona cut in, before Syaoran could answer. "It is still a long, long way away, but…this country has one."<br>"Shall we find this feather of yours?" Sorata asked Syaoran.  
>"Yes!" he responded.<br>"And you three?" Sorata asked the others.  
>"Sure," Ava said with a smile.<br>"I might as well," Fai chimed.  
>"If I said I wanted to leave, would you do it…white thing?" Kurogane asked.<br>"No!" Mokona said cheerfully. "Mokona…will not leave this country until Mokona finds the feather!"  
>Kurogane looked away annoyed, but said nothing.<br>"Thank you…Mokona," Syaoran said, balancing Mokona on his hands.  
>Sorata stood up. "Fine. While you're on this world, I'll vouch for you." He smiled. "I owe Yuko-san a favour. This is an apartment building. We've got room. You can use these rooms until you go to your next world."<br>"Thank you very much!" Syaoran said.  
>"It's after midnight already," Sorata said. "It's time to sleep. I'll show you to your rooms." He paused. "Fai and Kurogane, you don't mind sharing, do you?"<br>"Not at all!" Fai said.  
>"What was that?" Kurogane yelled back. They continued to argue as Sorata led them to a room. Arashi led Ava to her room, as Syaoran decided to stay with Sakura.<br>Ava lay back on the mattress and mused on her new situation. It was hard for her to believe that in a day she had gone from a noble, to a mere traveller. She smiled.

That night she had the strangest dream. It was dark, pitch-black. She was completely alone….and then…wind, pulling at her clothes and hair. She turned to see a woman, with arms covered in feathers, like a Greek Harpy. She was beautiful. The woman stared at her.  
>"I am the mistress of flight." The woman said. "Do you want power?"<br>Ava frowned. "Not particularly. I guess…perhaps…"  
>"But you want adventure."<br>"Of course."  
>"You have a quest."<br>"Apparently."  
>"Your heart is free. I can give you power to help you on your quest. Will you accept it?"<br>Ava paused. "I…" then she nodded. "Yes."  
>The harpy flew towards her, but before making contact, Ava awoke.<br>She sat on her bed and frowned, wondering if that was the legendary Kudan.


	5. The Instant of Awakening

The next day, Sorata told the travellers to go out into the neighbourhood.  
>"You have to start your search for Sakura's feather someplace!" he told them as he rushed them out.<br>"Okay!" Fai and Mokona chorused.  
>"Fine." Syaoran said.<br>Ava shrugged, and Kurogane stayed silent.  
>"Oh no! It's about time for my lesson to start," Sorata said worried. "If you walk around, I think you'll figure out what this Kudan talk is about," he told them.<br>"Is the white thing coming too?" Kurogane asked.  
>"Mokona isn't a white thing! Mokona is Mokona!" Mokona said as it jumped on Kurogane.<br>"You have to take Mokona, or you'll pass the feather by and never know. Don't worry, nobody will give Mokona a second thought…What I mean is this world is used to weird sights. Now…that this," he said, passing Syaoran a frog-like purse. "There's enough for lunch in there, so you should take your time and make friends….Well, you can eat where you like, but you'll never find a better meal than my Honey makes!"  
>"Why's he giving it to the kid!" Kurogane asked no one in particular. Ava was beginning to think that he complained just for the sake of it.<br>"Cause he's the one who looks most trustworthy!" Sorata replied with a thumbs up.  
>"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurogane yelled back, while Arashi nodded, Mokona and Fai laughed, Syaoran wisely stayed silent. Ava shrugged. She didn't really mind.<p>

Ava looked around the marketplace.  
>"It sure is a bustling place." Fai said.<br>"People all over the place," Mokona chirped.  
>"Small buildings are bunched up next to the huge ones." Fai continued. "Syaoran-kun, have you ever seen this kind of thing?"<br>"No, never."  
>"Kuro-tan, how about you?" Fai said with a smile.<br>"Never! And why do you have to call me by weirder and weirder names?" Kurogane yelled. Fai ignored him and the group kept walking.

After a while Kurogane found something else to pick at.  
>"It's you they're laughing at," Kurogane said, pointing at a group of cute girls who walked past.<br>"Mokona has many girlfriends!" Mokona said blushing.  
>"They aren't girlfriends!" Kurogane said, annoyed his teasing had failed.<p>

"Come in, Come in!" A shop keeper said. "Oh," he said, noticing the group. "You wanna buy an apple from me?"  
>"That…is an apple?" Syaoran asked, startled.<br>"If it isn't, I have no idea what it is!" the man replied energetically.  
>The four crowded around the man.<br>"So it didn't look like that on your world?" Fai asked.  
>"The shape was the same, but in my world, the colour is a pale yellow."<br>"Isn't that called a pear?" Kurogane asked, for once not yelling.  
>"No," Syaoran said, "A pear is redder and has leaves coming out of the top."<br>"No, that's a Raki seed, isn't it?" Fai chimed.  
>Ava looked at them. They were on a new world. Didn't it stand to reason that the food would be different, having been raised in a completely different environment. She reminded herself that those three had never travelled inter-dimensionally before.<br>"And…Do you want it or not?" The shopkeeper asked annoyed.  
>"Want it!" Mokona said.<br>"Nice doing business with ya."  
>"Huh?" Syaoran asked.<p>

"These apples are pretty good, huh?" Fai asked, leaning on a railing.  
>"Yes," Syaoran said.<br>"But…it really is true that the four of us come from completely different cultures." Fai continued.  
>Ava tried to not roll her eyes. New to this, she reminded herself.<br>"Come to think of it, I never asked…" Fai said after a pause. "How did you get to the shop of the dimension witch, Syaoran-kun? You said there was no magic in your world, didn't you?"  
>"There's a High Priest in my land. He sent me."<br>"That's impressive. It's hard enough to send one person across dimensions, but he sent two." He turned to Kurogane. "How about you, Kuro-rin?"  
>"I told you to stop that!" He said, but answered the question. "The princess of my country sent me away – by force."<br>Fai laughed and pointed at him mockingly. "You did something bad and she did it to scold you!"  
>"Yeah, yeah," Mokona said. "She did it to scold you!" Ava laughed.<br>"Will you all shut up? And don't point!" Kurogane yelled. He glared at Fai, who had turned to Ava.  
>"And you?"<br>Ava bit her lip. How to explain? It was a… complicated story, to say the least. And she doubted they would care for the whole story. So she shortened it. "It was a … group effort."  
>"Group?" Syaoran asked.<br>Ava shrugged. "Yep. Well…yep. That's pretty much it. Not very interesting, huh?"  
>Fai laughed.<br>"What about you? Who sent you?" Kurogane asked.  
>"Me? No one, I sent myself."<br>"Then you didn't have to ask the woman for anything! You could've done this yourself!"  
>"Not even close," Fai said with a smile. "Were I to muster all my magical abilities, just getting myself from one dimension to the next would take everything I could do. The one who sent Syaoran-kun…and the ones who sent Kuro-chin and Ava-chan…are people with a <em>lot <em>of magic power. But…I'll bet it took all they had. I imagine anyone has the power to send someone to another world only once. That's the reason that that your High Priest sent you to the witches place. It would take going to a lot of worlds to be able to collect all of Sakura-chan's feathers. And I think the only ones who can send someone to many worlds are the dimension witches."  
>Syaoran looked down at his apple, lost in thought. "Sakura." He said sadly.<br>Suddenly a noise rang out. The group ran over to find two groups looking very agitated.  
>"This time we're going to kick your butts and take over this neighbourhood," The leader of the group on the ground yelled at the group above them on a balcony. The balcony group's leader smiled and gave them a thumbs down.<br>"Whoo! They're cool!" Fa said.  
>"Another roped-off battle." A bystander said.<br>"That bastard has a special Kudan," someone said. "But don't let that go to your head!"  
>And then the battle broke out.<br>It was unlike anything any of the travellers had ever seen before. Monsters of all forms appeared from the contestants arms. They shot out energy bolts at each other, creating an energy barrier between them.  
>"So <em>that's<em> a Kudan?" Kurogane said.  
>"I think I've figured out why no one was surprised at Mokona." Fai said smiling, as around them people catcalled and jeered.<br>The blonde leader of the balcony group stepped in. His Kudan was a type of Sting Ray, and it used a water attack to just… wash away the enemies. Unfortunately, two civilians were right in the way. Syaoran was the only one who noticed, and he ran over to protect them. Just as the water hit, Syaoran's Kudan – a large flame, surged out of him, and defended them. As the fire dissipated, the blonde man looked at Syaoran.  
>"You seem to have a special Kudan, don't you?"<p>

**And that's the end of volume 1. Please review!**


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